Underwater production method



Jan. 3, 1967 Original Filed Sept.

C. C. BROWN ET AL UNDERWATER PRODUCTION METHOD 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q WW MJan. 3, 1967 c. 0. BROWN ET UNDERWATER PRODUCTION METHOD Original FiledSept. 20, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 3, 1967 Original Filed Sept. 20,1963 c. c. BROWN ET UNDERWATER PRODUCTION METHOD 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 MM(2.1m;

United States Patent 2 Claims. (Cl. 166.5)

The present application is a divisional application of Serial No.310,203 filed September 20, 1963, and relates to the underwaterproduction of oil and gas. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to an improved method for installing underwater production headapparatus remotely at an underwater location.

Underwater well heads heretofore known which may be remotely installedon the ocean floor, have been installed by first running the casing andthereafter hanging the tubing inside a tubing head on a donut typehanger with several packing elements separating the various annuli. Whenthe packing elements employed are of the packer cup type, they are notset for sealed annulus until fluid pressure is exerted thereon.

The automatic latching type tubing hanger is designed to be locked tothe tubing head by well zone pressure but is not positively mechanicallylocked until such time as a head plug can be set in the tubing headabove the tubing hanger mandrel. Prior to the setting of the head plug,it is possible that the tubing hanger may not be properly actuated byzone pressure, in which case the tubing could be blown out by the hole.At present, there is no method of determining whether the tubing hangeris locked down in such devices since the tubing hanger seating area isinside the production head.

In addition, some prior proposals for underwater production heads suchas that described in copending application of C. E. Wakefield, Ir.,Serial No. 100,411 filed April 3, 1961, require registry with anorientation cam to register the annulus openings in the tubing hangermandrel with the corresponding annulus openings in the tubing head.

It is therefore an object of our present invention to provide anunderwater production system wherein movement of the tubing hangermandrel relative to the tubing head is prevented in either directionwhen the tubing hanger mandrel is landed therein.

It is also an object of our present invention to provide an underwaterproduction system wherein the openings of the tubing hanger mandrelcommunicate with the side openings of the tubing head without the use ofan orientation cam.

It is a further object of our present invention to provide a tubinghanger system wherein the tubing is mechanically locked against verticalmovement within the tubing head independent of the well zone pressure.

It is also an object of our present invention to provide a tubing hangersystem wherein the packing elements are positively set independent ofthe fluid pressure exerted thereon.

Other objects and a more complete understanding of our present inventionmay be had by reference to the following specification taken inconjunction with the appended claims and the drawings.

According to the teaching of the present invention, a tubing hangermandrel is mechanically locked against vertical movement relative to thetubing head with transversely movable dogs which lock into a shoulderedgroove in the tubing head, and packing elements are positively set toseal between the tubing hanger mandrel and the tubing head. Anorientation cam is not necessary with the pres- 3,295,600 Patented Jan.3, 1967 ICC cut remotely installed production head apparatus, sincethere is an annular space in the tubing hanger mandrel adjacent eachside outlet in the mandrel, which outlets are adjacent the correspondingside outlets of the tubing head.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows in cross-sectional view an assembled well head inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows in cross section the tool used to retrieve the tubinghanger shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 shows in partial cross section the tubing hanger setting toolutilized to lock down the tubing hanger and set the packers shown inFIG. 4.

FIG. 3a shows an enlarged view of a J slot safety de- I vice used on thecasing hanger setting tool.

FIG. 4 shows in partial cross-sectional elevation the tubing hangermandrel within the tubing head.

FIG. 5 shows the tubing hanger mandrel of FIG. 4 locked relative to thetubing head.

FIG. 6 shows the tubing hanger mandrel of FIG. 4 with the packingelements in set position.

With reference to the drawings, a production head is shown in FIG. Imounted on the ocean floor on a conventional landing base 9. Theproduction head consists essentially of a casing head 61 and a tubinghead 17 The casing 60 is run and set in the casing head, after which thetubing hanger mandrel 11 is run, mechanically locked in position, andthe packers thereafter hydraulically set with a tool 96 designed forthis purpose and shown in FIG. 3.

Preparatory to landing the tubing hanger mandrel 11 in the tubing head17, as shown in FIG. 4, the tubing hanger setting tool 96, shown in FIG.3, is inserted into the tubing hanger mandrel 11 on a drill pipe (notshown) and connected thereto by turning the setting tool to the leftwith the drill pipe so that the sliding nut 10 engages the tubing hangermandrel at threaded section 12.

The tubing hanger mandrel 11, with production tubing 13 threaded to thelower end thereof, is lowered into the production head 17 until theshoulder 14 in the tubing hanger mandrel lands on the shoulder 16 of theproduction mandrel 17, as shown in FIG. 1. A J slot 15, shown in FIG.3a, is provided on the setting tool as a safety device to preventunintentional shearing of the shear pin 30. Pin 19 prevents downwardmovement of the hammer 13 of the setting tool shown in FIG. 3. Thus, thedrill pipe must be rotated approximately one-eighth turn to the left, asshown in phantom line in FIG. 3A, to move the J slot in a position topermit downward movement of hammer 18.

Hammer 18 abuts the shoulder 20 of the top sub 22 of the tubing hangermandrel 11 to drive the top sub 22 and sleeve 24 downward until thelower shoulder 26 of the top sub abuts shoulder 28 of the mandrel body29. As the sleeve 24 is driven down around the mandrel 11, pin 30 shearsand the latching dog 32 is driven outward by sleeve 24 into window 34(the position shown in FIG. 5) where it locks'in circumferentiallyspaced slots 35 of the production mandrel 17. Thus, the tubing hanger ispositively locked into position.

A pressure fluid is then passed down the drill pipe (not shown) andthrough the hole 36 of the setting tool 96, hole 37 of the tubing hangermandrel 11, and into the chamber 38 of the tubing hanger mandrel. Thepressure exerted by this fluid forces the cylinder 39 downward towardsthe shoulder 16 thus hydraulically compressing packers 42, 44, and 46,as shown in FIG. 6. The hydraulic fluid used to hydraulically set thetubing hanger packcm is trapped in the setting tool 96 by inserting plug98 therein. As the cylinder 39 moves downward towards 16, the pin 48shears and seal mandrels 42a, 44a, 46a and the entire tubing hangermandrel assembly from cylinder 39 to nipple 40, along with spacer rings43 and 45, are moved downwardly against the shoulder 16 of the tubinghead 17, thus extruding packer rubbers 42, 44, and 46 as the lowershoulder 14 engages shoulder 16 of the tubing head to form seals withthe inner surface of the tubing head 17 around the side outlets 114 and116 of the tubing hanger mandrel and the tubing head, respectively. Theterm extrude as used herein means that the packer or sealing element,e.g. packers 42, 44, and 46, is mechanically compressed to form afiuid-tight seal between two members, e.g. the tubing hanger mandrel andthe tubing or production head.

Slips 41 prevent return of the cylinder 39 and mandrel 11 relative tothe mandrel body 29 when the hydraulic pressure on cylinder 39 isreleased, thus maintaining the packers in set position. The slips permitthe packers to be compressed between the shoulders 33 and 16 of thetubing head.

When the packers are set, the drill pipe (not shown) may be rotated tothe right to release the setting tool 96 from the tubing hanger mandrel17 after which the drill pipe and the setting tool may be pulled fromthe hole.

Due to the gaps 100 between the seal mandrels 42a, 44a, and 46a,sufiicient space is provided between the spacer rings 43 and 45 and theproduction mandrel 17 at the openings in the tubing hanger mandrel toobviate the need for registering adjacent openings of the two mandrels,as with an orientation cam. Alignment pins 102 prevent rotation of thespacer rings 43 and 45.

The tubing hanger can be removed from the production mandrel by runningthe retrieving tool 50 shown in FIG. 2 into the tubing hanger mandreland threadably engaging the top sub 52 of the tool with the tubinghanger mandrel top sub 22 at threaded portion 56 by turning the drillpipe to the right. A spline connection between sleeve 24 and top cap 31prevents rotation of sleeve 24 as the releasing tool is threaded intotop sub 22. A stinger portion 54 may be coupled to the retrieving tool50 when it is desired to pack olf the side outlets of the tubing hangermandrel when it is above the blowout preventers as it is being pulled.The drill pipe is then pulled upward so that sleeve 24 is pulled frombehind dogs 32 allowing them to retract into the position shown in FIG.4, after which the entire tubing hanger may then be pulled from theproduction mandrel 17 on the drill pipe.

A macaroni string 106 and macaroni hanger 108 (FIG.

1) may be landed'and locked in the tubing hanger man-1 drel on shoulder104 in a manner similar to that which;

the tubing hanger mandrel is landed within the production mandrel. topof the macaroni string and has a check valve therein through which fluidmay be pumped to kill the well.

Although our invention has been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, the scope of our invention is not limited to the detailsset forth, but is of the full breadth of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A method for completing a well in a formation underlying a body ofWater from a structure over said well, the steps comprising:

installing a tubing head in said well adjacent said formation,installing production tubing on a tubing hanger mandrel at saidstructure,

lowering said tubing and tubing hanger mandrel from said structure intosaid well, landing said tubing hanger mandrel on a shoulder in saidtubing head,

mechanically locking said tubing hanger mandrel in a recess in saidtubing head, and

extruding packing in the annulus between said tubing said annulus withsaid packing about a transversely disposed tubing flow passage extendingthrough a side out-.

let of said tubing hanger mandrel and an adjacent side outlet in saidtubing head.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,475,429 7/1949Humason 166-88 2,504,025 4/1950 Humason 166-88 3,143,172 8/1964Wakefield 166-.5 3,177,942 4/ 1965 Haeber 166-.5

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiner.

I. A. LEPPINK, Assistant Examiner.

A macaroni hanger plug 112 closes off the r

1. A METHOD FOR COMPLETING A WELL IN A FORMATION UNDERLYING A BODY OFWATER FROM A STRUCTURE OVER SAID WELL, THE STEPS COMPRISING: INSTALLINGA TUBING HEAD IN SAID WELL ADJACENT SAID FORMATION, INSTALLINGPRODUCTION TUBING ON A TUBING HANGER MANDREL AT SAID STRUCTURE, LOWERINGSAID TUBING AND TUBING HANGER MANDREL FROM LANDING SAID TUBING HANGERMANDREL ON A SHOULDER IN LANDING SAID TUBING HANGER MANDREL ON ASHOULDER IN SAID TUBING HEAD, MECHANICALLY LOCKING SAID TUBING HANGERMANDREL IN A RECESS IN SAID TUBING HEAD, AND EXTRUDING PACKING IN THEANNULUS BETWEEN SAID TUBING HANGER MANDREL AND SAID TUBING HEAD BYHYDRAULICALLY MOVING PISTON MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TUBING HANGERMANDREL BETWEEN SAID RECESS AND SAID SHOULDER.